Dublin agencies appeal for delay on new report into Church child abuse

Dublin agencies have pleaded with the Irish Government to delay the release of a new child abuse report

Overwhelmed Dublin agencies have pleaded with the Irish Government to delay the release of a new report into MORE child sex abuse.

The report into child sex abuse in the Dublin archdiocese is due next week and is expected to spark another huge demand for therapy and counselling.

The agencies providing these services say they are already "stretched to breaking point" since the publication of the Ryan report.

The Ryan report detailed the abuse suffered by more than 30,000 children who were sent to Ireland's miserable collection of industrial schools, orphanages and so-called reformatories from the 1930s to the 1990s.

One of the agencies which is trying to help the former residents, One in Four, said it could not cope with any more clients.

More than 470 Irish people have contacted One in Four since the Ryan report was released uin May.

Director Maeve Lewis said One in Four normally deals with 450 new cases a year.

Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop, chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Center has also pleaded for a delay.

O’Malley-Dunlop said her organization was trying to cope with an ‘‘avalanche’’ of enquiries since the Ryan Report.

She said the Center feared it would not be able to provide the services the victims needed.

Lewis said that One In Four was ‘‘living in total dread of the release of the Dublin commission report."